Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918, Supplement 1, The World War, Volume II

File No. 659a.119/84

The War Trade Board Representative ( Sheldon) to the Representative of the British Government ( Mitchell-Thomson)¹

London, September 11, 1918.

My Dear Sir William: I enclose the formal concurrence of the War Trade Board of the United States in the main Icelandic agreement.² I also take this opportunity to state that the War Trade Board approves the agreement signed the 9th September, 1918, between the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, the Icelandic Government, and Hid Islenska Steinoliuhlutaf-jelag, of Reykjavik, Iceland, supplemental to the main Icelandic agreement,³ and also approves the agreement between the Landsverslun Trade Department on behalf of the Icelandic Government and Hid Islenska Steinoliuhlutaf-jelag, which has been concluded in accordance with article 4 of the agreement of the 9th September.

Very truly yours,

L. P. Sheldon

[Enclosure]

Memorandum of Concurrence by the War Trade Board of the United States in the Agreement between the Allied Governments and the Icelandic Government

September 11, 1918.

Referring to the agreement signed on the 23d May, 1918, between the British, French, and Italian Governments on the one hand and the Icelandic Government on the other, the War Trade Board of the United States, an administrative agency empowered by Executive order of the President to license exports from the United States, whose powers are administrative and pertain wholly to the United States domestic and internal affairs, will grant licences, so long as the agreement shall remain in force and be observed by the Icelandic Government, for the export (1) of cereals and petroleum as provided in the agreement and the schedules annexed thereto, and (2) of other articles enumerated in the ration list, in so far as such other articles are not required for consumption in the United States, or in nations associated with the United States in the war, or to meet other obligations of the United States, subject to the condition that the petroleum and other commodities or articles enumerated in the ration list will not directly or indirectly be exported from Iceland except as provided in the agreement.

L. P. Sheldon

,
War Trade Board

1. See footnote to preceding document.
2. Authority for concurrence given by War Trade Board in telegram No. 830, Department’s No. 196 of July 12 (File No. 659a.119/49c).
3. Authority for approval given by War Trade Board in telegram No. 932, Department’s No. 485 of July 27 (File No. 659a.119/42).